A no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-it-is look at the life of a Canadian Military spouse. In it, author Kathleen Mills, who did a “tour of duty” that lasted 35 years, shares the good, the bad, the hard, and the amazing of her journey.
Chasing Freedom is a no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-it-is look at the life of a Canadian Military spouse. In it, author Kathleen Mills, who did a “tour of duty” that lasted 35 years, shares the good, the bad, the hard, and the amazing of her journey. The good includes the opportunity to travel and to live in several locations across Canada and in England and the United States. It also includes amazing adventures, such as taking a parachute course for military spouses and getting to meet Princess Diana. The bad includes being in a school parking lot to pick up her kids and getting a call that her husband’s helicopter had been shot down in Iraq, and the hard covers the stress and demands of holding down the home front while her husband did multiple deployments. It also explores the story of what happens after a soldier returns from deployment and what it means for the spouse and other family members.
With brutal honesty, grace, and a great deal of humour, Kathleen provides a look at what marrying the military means and raises awareness about Operational Stress Injury (OSI) – the psychological difficulty caused by the prolonged, high-stress fatigue that can be experienced by those in military service and their family members. She also includes some poems that poignantly capture the experience of being married to the army, as well as some self-help tips for anyone who may be struggling. If you are involved in the military or thinking about joining it, or if you find your life has gotten in the way of you being your authentic self, this book is for you.
100% of book sale proceeds will go to Together We Stand, a not-for-profit, private foundation that offers unique programming, services, and support to Canada’s brave resilient military families.
I couldn’t put this book down. With every page I was astounded at the expectation of a military family.
Kathleen Mills uses humor, vulnerability and soul shattering honesty to describe the life of a military family and what it is like to be invisible to the institution that controls so much of your life.
Kathleen Mills is an Executive Coach and a Certified Yoga Teacher, with yoga and trauma training that includes Yoga Nidra for veterans. She also has a master’s degree in leadership and several fitness and personal training certifications. A proud mother to two grown children, she lives in Cochrane, Alberta, with her spouse, Darryl, and her dog, Zeus.
Chasing Freedom is her first book, but Kathleen has had her poetry published in several sources. She has also included some of her poems in this book. She hopes that sharing her story will help “start a conversation about the need for more inclusivity of military families and how combat injuries don’t just happen on the battlefield.”
